1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Image Data Processing Apparatus, comprising frame storage means, processing means, manually operable input means and display means.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computerised systems for performing effects upon clips of image frames are known. For example, a dissolve effect is described in U.S. Pat. No 5,818,542 assigned to the present assignee. An effect for the matching of film-like grain upon video material is described in British Patent No 2312124 (U.S. Ser. No. 08/827,641) assigned to the present assignee. An effect for allowing three dimensional particles to interact with two dimensional video material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,588 assigned to the present assignee. Many other effects are also implemented in software licenced by the present assignee under the trademark “FLAME”.
In known systems, effects processing is generally performed as a stand alone activity. Often an operator will be working with relatively short clips of video or film-sourced material which is then transferred to an editing station on data carrying medium or via a network. Alternatively, the same physical station may load new program instructions for an editing operation to be performed. This could include, for example, editing software licensed by the present assignee under the trademark “FIRE”.
In an editing environment, such as Fire, source material is combined with material that has had effects performed upon it so as to produce output sequences forming the final production. To facilitate editing activities it is known to display timelines to an editor, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,506 assigned to the present assignee.
A culture has been generated in which effects processing and editing are perceived as completely separate activities. Problems therefore arise in that if an editor wishes to modify an effect it is necessary for the material to be processed again within an effects environment and then exported back to the editing environment. Alternatively, editors could be presented with effects functionality, but a problem occurs in that interfaces for known effects processing differs substantially from known interfaces, including timelines or editing.